Change of Heart
by itsjaneyhere
Summary: Elijah Goldsworthy, the new boy at Degrassi, is looking for one thing: sex. Eli just doesn't stop. That is, of course, until he meets Clare Edwards. But what will overprotective big brother Fitz think of her and this "bad boy"?
1. Chapter 1

Change of Heart

Elijah Goldsworthy, the new boy at Degrassi, came looking for one thing: sex. It doesn't matter who, where, or when. Eli just doesn't stop. That is, of course, until he meets Saint Clare Edwards. But what will overprotective big brother Fitz think of Clare hanging out with this "bad boy"?

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I don't own Degrassi, only a mom that cooks burnt waffles.

Chapter 1- Mystery

Burnt waffles are disgusting. Who wants to eat in the morning anyway? My mom can't cook for her life. Now that she was making me actually go to school I was forced to get up early. Joy.

Not that I didn't mind school. Wait, that might have been one of the biggest lies I have ever said, err, thought. School is… how can I even start that sentence and end with something positive? It has girls; that's always a good thing, right?

Anyway, I slung my backpack over my shoulder and began to walk out the door when suddenly a hand was on my arm. My protective side started up and I turned around with a death glare to find my fragile mom holding a plate of her "waffles."

"Did you eat enough, Elijah?" she asked.

"Mom, it's Eli. And yes, I'm full." I mentally rolled my eyes.

"Are you sure? They're still warm. I have pancakes too-"

"It's fine, Mom. Thanks," I said, almost smiling as I walked out of the door. My mom could be so cute sometimes. I walked down the street until I saw a blue and gold sign that read: Welcome to Degrassi! This week was going to be hell.

I run up the steps and into the main office where I was greeted by my principal. He went to grab my hand and I took it, gladly.

"It's great to have you here, Elijah. New students are-"

"Please, Mr. Simpson, it's Eli," I interrupted, feeling a little rude.

He put a hand up in defense. "My apologies, Eli. As I was saying, new students are always welcome to Degrassi Community School."

I smirked. "Glad to be here." I could tell he saw right through that lie. Oh well.

"Mr. S, the copy machine is jammed again. What should I do?" A tall guy ran out from a room, looking stressed. Jees, it's only 9 in the morning and this poor kid looked half worked to death. His skin was dark, as were his eyes and hair. He has long arms and a skinny body that was slightly in shape. His eyebrows were bushy and black, just like his short hair. The boy looked up and smiled at me.

"You must be the new kid," he spoke slowly, almost unsure. Yup, the new kid. I was so used to be called that.

I simply nodded in respond. His smiled never faded. "D-do you want me to give you a tour? Help you with your schedule? Anything?"

Mr. Simpson looked from me to the boy. "Eli, this is Sav, Degrassi's school president."

"Are you forgetting to introduce me, Mr. Simpson?" I looked over at a short ginger-haired girl that walked out from what looked the same room that Sav came from. She was cute. Scratch that, she was hot. Her freckles and green eyes stood out the most to me. I mentally shook myself and smirked.

Mr. Simpson smiled at her jokingly. "Never, Ms. Sinclair. Eli, this is Holly J the-"

"The HBIC," she stated simply, then swung her hair over and her shoulder and walked away with confidence.

"Or that too," Mr. Simpson said under his breath. He straightened himself and clasped his hands together, making the room shake. "Okay! Here is your schedule, Eli, and Sav will show you to you're first class."

Sav was smiling and motioned me over to him. Hesitantly, I started walking with him to my first period class. We didn't really talk much. He just asked where I lived before, if I had any pets, why I wore all black…

"This is your English class with Mrs. Dawes. Good luck, she can be a little weird," Sav looked down and laughed a little.

My eyes moved away from him as I thanked him and entered the classroom quietly. It seemed like they were already in the middle of a lesson. I searched for a chair and, with my luck, there was one right up in the front of the room. Sigh. I started to walk to the lonely desk. I heard a few girls whisper to each other and a couple whistles. I smirked. Maybe this school wouldn't be so bad.

I slid casually into the chair and slumped down a little. I put the small amount of books I had underneath the desk and folded my hands on my desk. The teacher, Mrs. Dawes, finished explaining something to the class before making her way over to me.

"Are you Elijah?" she asked, smiling a little.

I sighed. There was really no point in telling her I preferred Eli, so I just nodded.

Her smile turned warm as she crouched down in front of my desk. She started explaining to me how her class worked and what not. Me being the ass I usually am tried to ignore her. Every once in a while I'd nod, letting her know I was subconsciously listening. As she finished, she stood up, straightened her skirt, and walked over to her oversized desk. From inside, she pulled out a book which she handed it to me. I smiled and said thank you as I added it to my stack of three notebooks.

The bell rung and my heart almost skipped a beat. That went by a little too fast. As I got up, I walked into a girl and knocked all of her books over. Oh no, I felt so bad! I immediately reached down and picked them all up for her. I handed them to her without looking at her face.

She seemed to notice this because a few seconds later someone was tapping my shoulder. I looked behind me and saw something so beautiful. I had never seen a girl like this in my life. I blinked a few times before a "hi" escaped from my lips.

The girl smiled as if she could tell I was nervous. "You can't just run away without let me thank you!:" she teased.

I smirked. "Welcome."

"I believe the 'welcome' goes to you, sir. Eli, right?"

"That's been my name for sixteen years."

When she smiled, her blues thinned and her teeth shone through her light pink lips. "I guess you must be wondering who I am?"

I nodded. "Tell me, gorgeous, what is your name?"

She just walked away. I followed her, of course. Now I was really confused because one, I had no idea where we were going or where my next class was and two, because this girl just took off. I finally caught up to her and gently grabbed her arm.

"I guess now that you've caught me I should tell you what my name is," she stated.

I nodded encouragingly. "That would my point."

She took out a Post-It notepad, wrote something quickly, then handed me one of the yellow sheets as she giggled and walked away. I made sure she was gone before I looked down the read the note. It said: "Nice try, Eli." And that was that.

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lol so i should have put this in the beginning but who cares. i've been wanting to write a fanfiction for so long and i finally got around to it. i dont expect it to be any good but you should review it anyway!:) thanks 3


	2. Chapter 2

I don't own Degrassi, or any of the songs I use. (Stand Forever- Heffron Drive)

Chapter 2- Gotta Find You

Finally it's Saturday. Starting school on a Friday is always so convenient. I sat up in my bed, eyes still closed. I stretched my arms and peeked one emerald eye open, then the other. I sighed. I used my white beater to wipe the drool from my lips.

I looked over at my alarm clock. The red numbers started angrily at me reading 10:09. Why was I up? Oh well. I looked around my room and noticed something on the floor. I raised a dark eyebrow and got out of bed.

I looked up into my full length and stared at my reflection. My hair was messed up and almost covering my eyes. It was sticking up a little in the back. My chin was started to grow dark with hair. Not a lot, though. Thank god. My eyes moved down to my guitar pick chain that hung around my neck. I lifted my hand up to grab it and kissed it. I smiled and let it hit my chest. My white beater was a little stained and stretched. I looked at my blue plaid boxers. I smiled, semi satisfied with my appearance, for once.

I shook myself and remembered why I had gotten up in the first place. My window was cracked open a little bit. I noticed it when the wind surrounded my body. "Damn it," I whispered. I closed it. I walked back to the spot on the floor where the piece of paper was.

It was folded in half, hamburger style. In a semi fancy font, it read Elijah. There were a couple hearts around my name. I smirked. A secret admirer perhaps? No, I knew who it was from. I opened it, reading the few words that were on the sweet-smelling paper. I went out. There are some eggs in the fridge. Have a good day! XOXO, Mom.

She really was cute sometimes. She used to leave me notes in my lunch box. So did my dad. I shook myself again, mentally this time. I sighed and pinned the note up on my corkboard above my messy bed. I shivered, realizing how cold it really was in here. I looked to my left and noticed a pair of gray pajama pants resting on my floor. I bent down and picked them up to warm my legs. I also saw a black hoodie lying next to it.

Now that I was completely comfortable, I jumped back into bed, not feeling hungry at all. My shitty laptop was at the foot of my bed. I crawled over to place it on my lap. I opened it up and it immediately started to freak out, as did I.

"You fuckin' piece of shit!" I screamed as I threw it across my room. I did this often, yet it failed to break. My eyebrows knit together angrily as I stormed across my huge room to retrieve it. It fell right next to my black bean bag chair, so I decided to just chill out there, opening my computer once again.

Thankfully it didn't freak out this time. I pushed the power button in waiting for a response. I only started at my reflection in a black screen. There was a red blinking thing on the side, meaning it was low on battery. Great, freakin' awesome. The cord was all the way next to my bed.

"Fuck this, I'm making myself eggs," I muttered as I walked out of my door, making sure I closed it all the way and placing the lock on it. I strode over to our elevator and pressed the button with a down arrow on it. I lit up and made a little ding noise. I tapped my foot impatiently. Why the hell was it taking this long? I'm the only one home… right?

At last, the tan doors slid open, revealing a beautiful view of my downstairs. You could see everything from just staring out the clear window that surrounded the ancient-looking elevator. I smiled, perhaps happy with my life for once. I turned around and realized the elevator wasn't moving and pressed the 1 button. As it reached the bottom, I sighed and my stomach grumbled a little.

I was in a rush to get out and didn't even notice the tall man in front of me. I walked right into him a grumbled. "Hey! Can you watch out nex-" I stopped, realizing it was just our chef, Leo.

"My apologies, Mr. Goldsworthy," he said. Leo was possibly the only thing that could ever keep me sane. I smiled at him and he looked down at me. Leo was at least six foot five, much taller than I. He rustled my hair and smiled. "Are you hungry, sir?"

My smile faded a little. "Leo, I told you, when you're around me, you can just call me Eli." He nodded in response. I continued, "But yes, I am getting pretty hungry… eggs and bacon?

His smile creeped up quickly. "It'll be ready in less than ten minutes, Mr. Gold- Eli,"

I smiled and walked through the rest of the tiled-floor hallway. I looked up at the paintings of flowers across my ceiling. It was almost breath-taking… for something girly, that is. I changed my view to the front of me again, shaking myself mentally. I stuffed my hands into my the pocket of my hoodie and stopped when I saw a computer laying on a coffee table. I picked it up. There was a tag on it. I looked at it curiously.

It wasn't long until I realized this computer was for me…from Leo! I could just hug right now. It was the MacBook Pro, the one I always wanted. I practically hugged the thing to death as I rode the elevator back upstairs into my room.

When I got there, the antique phone next to bed was ringing, sort of like a room service kind of thing. I answered it. "Leo?"

"Eli, the eggs are finished," he replied.

I smiled. "Send them up the chute, please."

"Right away, Eli."

In a matter of seconds the place of food was on a tray by my door. I walked over and grabbed it placing it on one of the tables next to my bed. I opened up my new computer, setting it up as quick as I could.

I made me the only person who could access it, even adding a password. There was no way in hell my mom was getting a hold of this thing.

As I logged on, my iPhone next to me buzzed. I looked over and noticed my mom was calling. I picked it up quickly.

"Morning, Eli!" her high voiced chirped into the phone and my ear.

"Hey, Mom," I responded.

"Did you get my note? And your present?" I could hear her smile through the phone.

"I thought Leo got this for me," I said, confused at who to thank.

"We both did!" she exclaimed. I nodded understandingly. "Thank you both so much. I couldn't stand my old one," I groaned.

"You're welcome, sweetie. Have fun with it!" I smiled and hung up the phone, racing back to my computer. The first thing I did was download Skype. Once it was finished, I logged into my account, seeing if any of the girls from my old school were on. Nope, not one of them. Interestingly enough, I had a new friend request. Hmmm… I'd get back to that later.

I suddenly remembered something. I hopped out of bed at got my favorite acoustic guitar. It had a red and white design surrounding the hole in the center on the right side. The strings were black and so was the back of it. It was beautiful.

I got back on to my bed and pulled out a folder from the drawer of one of my side tables. I opened it and stared at the unfinished song. I started to play a couple of chords, singing slightly.

Let's start it off with a breakdown babyI've been quietly studying youstanding off in a corner with your arms crossedeyes locked staring at the scene unfolding before youand I'm not sure if it was me that you smiled atbut one more drink and I'll be past thatand into you so please don't questionwhen I, when I take your hand away and go

I finished singing the first verse and threw a pick across the room. I slowly brushed my hand into my hair trying to think. The pen was in my mouth and I was chewing on it. I looked over at my door and gasped, the pen falling out of my mouth. It was…her…standing at my door.

"Sounds really good," the mystery girl from school said.

I just sat there in shock, not knowing what to say.


	3. Chapter 3

Fhiweho. So. I'm only like really pissed that the last chapter didn't change after I edited it…sorry for that. I'll try to change it again. I just really wanted to type another chapter. So yeah. I hope you guys are actually enjoying it. Your review make me smile:D thanks. PS I'm going to try to make this one longer.

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I don't own Degrassi, but my brother owns the guitar Eli has;)

Chapter 3- Well...

"Ummm…" My brain froze, as did I. My eyebrows flew up in shock as she walked into my room as if it were nothing. "How did you…"

She smiled. Damnit, her smile was cute. Hell, she was cute. She stared at me. "Well, my step-dad is the principal. I asked him about you, and here I am!"

What the hell. What do I even say to that? I shook my head, letting the hair fall into my eyes as I looked down. My lips started to open, but nothing wanted to come out. I looked up so I was facing her again. "Do you want to sit down? Do you want a drink? Do you want to tell me your name?"

She giggled and walked over at sat next to me on my bed. "Fine, since I am at your house, my name is Clare."

Clare. It rung around in my head and my eyes got wide. I shook myself mentally and forgot about it. She held out her hand and hesitantly I took it. "Another question: who let you in?"

Clare looked up a little, trying to remember. "I think he said his name was Leo?"

I nodded, making a note to thank him later. Then I realized, this was really awkward. This girl who I met yesterday just walked into my house. I didn't know anything about her. Was I supposed to ask her about her life, or would that make her as uncomfortable as I am? Suddenly, a hand was on mine and I looked up, my thoughts disappearing. "What are you doing here, anyway?" I whispered.

"My step-dad always want me to go around and make the new kids feel welcome, especially the new kids that just moved in this city. Where did you live before?"

"New York. It's a lot different than this. I miss it," I said, not really meaning it. This place was exactly what I needed.

"That's amazing! I've always wanted to go there. There's so many lights and stores. I always look it up to see what's going on there."

"Yeah, it's pretty amazing." Clare looked around my room for what seemed like the 100th time. "What are you looking at?"

She blinked a few times and looked into my eyes. "Sorry, I just don't think I've ever seen a room this big."

I smirked, not that I was cocky about my money. It's just, no one has really been impressed by anything I do or have. I guess the part of New York I lived in was just all like this.

"Hey, Clare," I started and she looked over at me. "Have you ever been to an aquarium?"

"Yes! I love them!" She got off of my bed and spun around. "I love the fish, and the tanks where you can touch the starfish, and the turtles!"

She made me smile so much. "How about we go to one?"

"Today?"

"Yeah, is it a bad time?"

She shook her head and her curls bounced. "No! We should totally go!"

I smiled, glad that she liked my idea. "Okay, come downstairs with me."

We walked down the hallway awkwardly. The only sound you could hear was our shoes hitting the wood floor beneath us. Once or twice I noticed Clare look up at the designs on the ceiling and gawk at everything she saw. My hands were in my pockets and I just walked casually next to her. We reached the elevator and I pressed the button.

"It's crazy cool that you have an elevator in your house! I've only been in them when we stay at hotels." She turned around and gasped when she saw that you could see through it and see the floor below. "This is so beautiful, Eli."

"I guess. My mom designed it all." I shrugged.

She looked at my as if I spoke another language. "Are you serious? That is amazing! She should come and design my room! I hate how it looks now and I have been dying to redo it."

"Okay, I guess I could ask her." As I said this, we made it to the first level of my house. Clare and I walked out into the kitchen. Clare was following me like a lost puppy. I couldn't blame her; if I didn't live here and walked into it I would be scared of getting lost. I saw Leo and waved to him. He raised his eyebrow at me. "Stay here," I said to Clare.

"What's up?" I asked Leo.

"Do you even know this girl? Is she a new friend? Possibly a new girlfriend?" He winked and nudged me little.

I rolled my eyes. "Leo, I just met her. I was going to take her out to the aquarium that I've been wanting to go to."

He nodded. "Which car were you planning on taking?"

"Um… surprise me?"

Leo laughed. "I'll go fetch you some keys." I stood there, patting my hands against my legs. It seemed like an hour had passed before Leo came back, the keys to a car dangling between his fingers.

"Which car?" I asked, twirling the keys around my finger.

"Honestly, I don't know. I believe it's the new one."

I nodded and thanked Leo. He was the best. Clare was still standing where I left her as I walked over to her. She followed out to one of our garages. He eyes got wider than before. "Eli…how many cars are in here?"

"There are 12 in here, 12 in the other one," I stated, not knowing what the big deal was.

"Which one are we taking?"

"My mom just bought one here in Canada. It's the only one that doesn't have a New York license plate. Can you help me find it?"

"Um I guess…" Her sentence trailed off as she stopped dead in her tracks in front of a long, black car. The license plate? Yup, it was from Canada. She looked scared, like she didn't want to get in the car. At first, I just figured it was a limo, but oh, I was wrong.

"Eli…that's a, that's a hearse! Like that thing you carry dead people in!" she squealed and jumped away from the car. "Are we actually getting-"

"HOLY SHIT!" I screamed. "THIS IS THE SICKEST CAR I HAVE EVER SEEN! CLARE, WE NEED TO GET IN THIS NOW!"

Clare took a step back from the car. "Eli…you can't be serious."

"Why not? It's just a hearse. Not like someone's used it."

She bit her lip and slowly nodded. "Fine, but I won't like it."

I smirked. This could possibly be the start of a great friendship; possibly something even more.

"You should have seen your face when the shark went right up to the tank! Clare, I swear, you jumped right out of your pants!" I laughed and lifted a hand off of the steering wheel to scratch the beck of my neck.

Clare crossed her arms and looked over at me. "Very funny, Mr. Goldsworthy. First you put me in a car for dead people then expect me to not freak out over a shark. I saw you jump back a little bit when the turtle came out."

"That thing was huge! How could you not be scared?"

"You told me you weren't scared of anything," she said and smiled. It's not that I was scared, turtles just freak me out. They look like grandparents, all wrinkly and what not. I shuddered at the thought of old people, then looked at Clare.

"What…" she said. Shit, I was staring at her. "Oh, uh nothing. Do you like this song?" I asked, trying to change the subject.

"Sure, I love all of these songs!" she jumped up a little in her seat. I bit my lip, trying not to smile at how cute she was. All I did was nod.

"Yeah, my mom used to work for them, and so many other people."

"Really? That's amazing! What doesn't your mom do?"

That actually made me smile. My mom meant so much to me. She was the only thing I really had. Her and Leo. Possibly even my ex-girlfriend… I shook the thoughts away. In a matter of seconds, we were already back to my house. "Shit, did you want me to take me home?"

Clare shrugged. "What time is it?"

"It's… almost six," I said looking at my watch. Then, it hit me. "Why don't you stay for dinner? My mom usually isn't home until seven, so we could find something to do until she gets home."

"It's my brother's birthday so I have to be home," Clare said quickly and sighed. "Another time for sure."

I smiled with a little disappointment, but nodded. "Well, what's your address?"

She pulled out her phone quickly. "Uh, my dad's already on his way. Thanks for today, Eli. I had fun." Her white smile lit up the all black car. I guess that made me smile today. I wanted to kiss her. Hell, there was so much I wanted to do with her. The whole time at the aquarium she kept brushing into me and I just wanted to grab her hand.

I cleared my throat. "Alright."

"Give me your hand," she said, reaching for it.

"Why?" I pulled it away quickly.

She laughed. "I'm going to write my number on it, silly."

Hesitantly, I places my hand on her lap. "Stop! Stop that tickles!"

Clare was laughing and her face almost turned red. "Eli, you are such a baby!"

My cheeks were on the verge of blushing. I looked out the window and saw a car outside. "Hey, Clare…"

"Oh, that's my dad! I'll text you later."

"My phone's always on," I said, getting out of the car with her. She smiled and waved as she got into her father's car and they drove off. I sighed, remembering everything that happened today. I felt different…too different. I walked into my house.

"Mom!" I yelled, seeing if she was home.

"Just missed her. She went up to shower," Leo said.

"Thanks," I said and started to walk to the elevator when Leo's hand was on my shoulder. "Yes?"

"Are you going to tell me what happened on your date?" Leo smirked.

"Shut the hell up you douche. It was not a date!" I laughed and rubbed him off as he laughed too.

I made my way to the elevator. Pressing the button, I sighed so loudly it almost scared me. While standing inside the elevator, I closed my eyes and thanked whatever was out there. Something was right now. Maybe it was wrong.

The doors opened and I walked out slowly into my room. There was a bowl of macaroni and cheese next to my bed, which made me smile. I sat down and started eating it contently. The simple things in life made me so happy.

I noticed my phone vibrating next to me and picked it. I didn't recognize the number, and figured it was Clare. Answering it without hesitation, I was proven wrong.

"Hello?" I asked.

"Hey, is this Eli?" the voice on the other end asked. It was a girl. She sounded familiar.

"Yeah, who's this?"

"This is Holly J, the VP. How are you?"

Whoa, whoa. What? Where the hell did this bitch get my number? "I'm…decent. Uh, how did you-?"

"Every girl has your number already," she replied, reading my thoughts. What did she just say? They all have my number? Hmmm, I could live with that.

I laughed. "Who handed that out?"

"It was all me. Trust me, Eli, I'm not the only girl that has their eye on you."

Did she mean Clare? Or someone else? "Who else?"

"Don't worry about it. We should hang out sometime."

"Sure. I'll text you," I said, and hung up before she could reply. What the hell just happened? I was at school for one day and all of the sudden everyone has my number? Holly J was hot so I didn't mind her calling me…but what about the nerdy girls who had beliefs and didn't want to have sex with me? What. The. Hell.

I stared at my arm. The number Clare had written was starting to smudge, so I figured it was now or never. I unlocked my phone and typed Clare a message.

-Hey, it's Eli.

*Sent*

I waited patiently for her to respond.

-Hey, I'm out to dinner. Text you in a few :*

She put a kissing face. Well, at least I thought that was a kissing face. I immediately thought of her lips, and how bad I wanted to feel them against mine.

God damn, Elijah, you can get any girl you want. Why not pick a hot one? Clare was hot though…right? I don't fuckin' know, whatever. I needed to shower.

"Eli, go to bed soon," my mom whispered into my room. I checked the clock which read, 2:47.

"Fine, I'm going to sleep now. Night, Mom," I whispered back. She turned of my lights and I closed my computer. I sighed and got under the covers. I tried to sleep, but kept turning over. I felt restless, tired, worthless. At last, my eyes closed and my body steadied as I fell asleep.

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I hope you guys thought this was good:P it did take me a couple days, but I do have some more ideas that I want to try to put into these. PLEASE REVIEW xoxo.


	4. Chapter 4

WOW! it has been awhile, eh? Sorry for disappearing, not my intention. No one will probably read this anyway so who cares. I hope that if anyone does read this that they like and will review it? No? Well, it was worth a try. But please, if you read it and liked it, review. Even review it if you didn't like it! Reaching 50 reviews on a story that I thought would get none would be absolutely amazing and I want all of you guys to know that. Okay, well, enjoy lovelies!

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I don't own Degrassi, just a love for chocolate pancakes for breakfast.

Chapter 4- I Love Nature

"Eli! Eli! Eli!" My name echoed throughout the stadium, followed by screams from every person surrounding me. I smiled, retrieving my acoustic guitar from on of the men working on the stage. A wooden stool was place in the center. I took a seat on it as a red spotlight blinded me. I moved the microphone stand so it was in front of me. My mouth started to open and words were making their way out.

"This is for Clare," I said, smiling so hard, I swear my lips could have fallen off.

"That's a new one." My body shot up, shaking. There, standing in my room, was my mom.

Of course, it was just a dream. "Jesus, Mom. It's like, eight in the morning. Why are you in here?" I brushed my fingers through my hair and pulled my covers up, shielding my half-naked body.

She laughed and put her hand on my cheek. "You were screaming so I came in to check on you. The only thing that I understood you saying was 'This is for Clare.' Isn't she the girl you met a couple days ago?"

Well, shit. Clare is in my dreams now? What the hell was happening to me? I shook my head and threw my head back on to my pillow, completely covering my shivering body.

"Okay, Rockstar. Get your beauty sleep. I'm going for a walk," My mom said, starting to walk off.

I rolled over in response. As much as I tried to fall back asleep, my body was already fully awake. I felt around me until my phone was in my hands. The screen was bright on my eyes. I noticed I had a new text message...from Clare. My thumbs quickly typed in my password, unlocking my phone. I clicked on my messages.

Eli, sorry I couldn't talk last night. I'm going to the gym for two hours. Text me or call me when you're up. -Clare.

She sent this to me around 6. My phone told me that it was already 8:30. She should be done by now...

My fingers started to text her back. I didn't know what I was even saying.

Clare, I want to see you as soon as possible. Come over if you can. -Eli.

I mean, was that creepy? I hope not. I jumped a little when my phone vibrated. There was a new text message from Clare. There was no hesitation as I clicked to read it.

I was just about to eat breakfast. -Clare

That's when it hit me.

Come over. I'll make you a delicious breakfast. :) -Eli

After that, Clare responded to me with 'sounds awesome'. I got up as quickly as I could and got dressed. A black v-neck and dark jeans with my usual rings was all I was wearing. It's not like I was trying to impress her, right? Wait, then why was I making her breakfast? I shook myself and got into the elevator, sending me down to my destination on the first level. There, I was greeted by Leo.

"Ah, good morning, Eli! You're up bright and early. What's the special occasion?" Leo walked along with me into the kitchen.

"I have to make Clare a stellar breakfast. The thing is, I can't cook. Help?" I stared into Leo's eyes pleadingly.

"Well, I guess those few cooking lessons I took in college are going to be useful." I smiled when he said it, thanking him to no end.

I turned on the radio as loud as it could go, not caring that it was almost nine in the morning. Our walls were soundproof, so there was no way our neighbours could hear. Leo and I danced around in the kitchen, baking some chocolate chip pancakes, throwing flour at each other, and just having a good time. The pancakes were just about finished when I heard a knock on the front door. I froze and turned swiftly to Leo.

"Would you like me to get it while you wash that flour off of your face?" Leo asked. I smirked and nodded. As he went to answer the door, I ran into the nearest bathroom to clean myself up. When I walked out, my mouth dropped. I expected Clare to be standing in front of me, being her flawless self, but that's not who was there. No, it was-

"Daddy!" The little girl before me ran straight towards me as I brought her into a lifeless hug. I was holding my daughter, Nature.

Leo looked at me and raised an eyebrow.

"Nature," I said, putting her down, "how did you get here?"

Nature smiled, revealing her missing front teeth. "Mommy."

My eyes widened. "Why would Julia do that?" I said, under my breath so only I could hear. "Nate, go with Leo. He'll take you into our game room. You just sit there until I sort things out, okay?"

Nature jumped up and down with excitement as Leo took her hand. Before leaving the room, he looked back and mouthed to me, 'We need to talk.' I nodded and pulled out my cell phone. My fingers scrolled through my contacts furiously until I reached the bottom of the J's. I clicked on Julia's name and pressed Call.

Three rings later, the voice of a witch answered. "Did you like your little surprise?"

I felt her cold grin sting my heart through the phone. Julia was two and a half years older than I. I was just starting seventh grade when she was starting high school. We met each other at a party in New York where we talked for hours. She had gotten so drunk that night, when no alcohol ever entered my system. She played me like a yo-yo, always making me come back to her. That was when I lost my virginity. Even thought I was 100% sober, I wasn't thinking straight. I didn't realise that a condom would have changed this whole situation. Julia and I never spoke from that night on, of course until about 3 weeks later. She called me, crying. At first, I had no idea who it was and why they were calling me crying. Then, she said, "Eli, it's Julia, from that party. I'm pregnant." I remember those words being spoken to me like it was yesterday rather than four years ago.

I was so young, hell, we both were. Our one-night-stand turned into a full on relationship from there. The high school she attended and the middle school I was trapped in were only two blocks away from each other. I walked with her to school everyday, holding her hand, singing to her and our almost baby. We both agreed that an abortion would only make our situation worse. When she told her parents about her being pregnant, I defended her through every argument, telling her parents that there was no turning back now so they shouldn't be mad. I had grown really close with her family at that moment. Julia came with me to tell my mom. She couldn't have been more happy or supportive. Julia and I would sit on the phone for hours, discussing names until we came up with the name Nature. The doctors told us it was going to be a girl. I was hoping for a boy, so I wanted a unisex name. We tried Spencer, Riley, even Sidney but none of the names sounded quite right with Goldsworthy. Julia came suggested Nature and both fell in love. Nature Hannah Goldsworthy. The day Nature was born, I sat with Julia in the emergency room for over six hours. She was born at 11:11 PM on September, 1st.

My mom owned our mansion and then there smaller guest houses across the street back in New York. Julia and I got to live in one of them with Nature. When I started high school, Julia was a junior. She brought Nature to school with her everyday, leaving her in the daycare school provided. I thought it would be awesome, finally being in the same school as the love of my life. Hell fucking no. Julia never wanted me around and then cheated on me with a senior. 3 weeks later I got a very familiar call from Julia, telling me she was pregnant again, but I wasn't the father. I couldn't believe her. I kicked her out of our small home and kept Nature with me. The next year was Julia's senior year. We hadn't talked since that phone call. By the time she graduated, my mother told me that we were moving to Canada. I had to make the decision of giving up Nature or taking her with us to Canada to start a new life. She was barely three and life was already so screwed up. I walked to Julia's house in the pouring rain that day, not bothering to bring and umbrella or jacket. She gasped when she noticed me standing before her. I glared at her icily and told her I was moving and that she had to keep Nature. Julia was holding a baby boy in her arms and started to cry. She told me she couldn't take care of two children, not at her age. I didn't give a fuck. I knew Nature would be fine with her so my mom dropped off my daughter and drove me back home.

Now, here I was, thinking I was never going to see my baby again. Oh, and I was talking to the girl I once loved so much.

"Jules, this isn't a joke. What the hell are you doing in Canada?"

"My boyfriend, Ryan, I'm sure you remember him, can't handle Nature in the house anymore. Brock is too much of a hassle. You have to keep her."

Brock? What the hell kind of name is Brock? But then again, what the hell kind of name is Nature?

"I'm still in school, Julia! This isn't fair to me at all." I slammed my free fist onto the counter as I screamed at her through the phone.

"And this is me not caring. Bye!" She hung up the phone. I couldn't believe it.

My body shook and I fell to the floor. Tears erupted like a volcano all over my face. My torso was like an earthquake as I cried harder than I ever had. I, Elijah Goldsworthy, was pathetic. How could I present myself to Clare while looking like this?

Clare. I had totally forgotten about her. I immediately jumped up and, once again, cleaned myself up. I set the pancakes out on our marble counter. There was a knock on the door. I started wondering if this time it would be my dad returning from the dead. Oh, I never mentioned my dad's death, did I? Long story short, he was shot when I was only 3 months old. Anyway, I walked up to the door, smiling like everything was perfectly fine.

"Clare," I said, opening the door even wider so she could get in.

She smiled back at me. "Mmm, it smells amazing in here! What did you cook?"

That made me laugh to myself slightly. "Chocolate chip pan-"

"Daddy, who's that?" Nature was standing in the doorway of the kitchen, Leo running up right behind her.

Leo fixed his non-existent hair. "I tried to catch her, but she's so fast!"

Clare's eyes looked from me to Nature, me to Nature, me to Nature. "Did she call you… Daddy?"

"Clare, why don't we go up to my room and have a talk. Sound good?"

…..

…...

…

"Wow. You mean she drove all the way from New York just so she could drop off your daughter here like it was nothing?" Clare's blue eyes looked at me in disbelief. "Why would someone do that?"

"Julia's a bitch, Clare, and I don't ever call a girl a bitch. I guess she thought it'd be funny to ruin my life. Again." I sighed and looked down, playing with thumbs. Nature was sitting in the corner of my room, throwing all of the toys out of one of her sixteen bags that were dropped off with her.

Clare gazed over to Nature. "So that's really your daughter?"

"Please don't tell anyone at school."

She nodded. "I would never. Where's she going to stay during the day?"

"Do you think I could bring her to school and leave her at the daycare next door without anyone noticing?" I looked up at her, pleading for an honest answer.

"The only people who would notice are the ones who have children themselves, which is only one person: Jenna."

I shrugged. "Then that's where she'll stay."

"Eli this is crazy."

"I messed up, what can I say?" I got up from the bed and walked over the my daughter, picking her up. "But I wouldn't change anything. I love Nature so much."

Nature's big green eyes gazed into mine and she kissed my cheek. I ran my hand through her thick, dark hair being held off of her face by a white headband. Clare walked over to us and smiled at Nature.

"Hi, pretty girl."

Nature looked as if she wanted to spit on Clare. "You not my mommy."

I laughed. "Nate, this is Clare, my girlfriend." I looked up at her for approval when I gave her a title. Clare smiled unsurely. I knew this meant a talk was coming later. I inched my lips closer to Clare's ear and whispered, "It makes things so much simpler for Nature to understand."

Clare put her hands on her hips and grinned, looking into Nature's adorable face. "That's me, Eli's girlfriend."

I smirked. I could get used to that.

* * *

o0o00o0o0 didn't see that coming, did you? Haha, neither did I, actually. I came up with the idea for Eli having a daughter a couple of days ago. So, what do you think? Reviews please? :) Love you guys! xxx Janey :)


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